"Severna Park - The Three Unknowns" - читать интересную книгу автора (Park Severna)

"Well?"

Althea put a piece of protein into her mouth without looking at it. It tasted fine, but on the plate it had the
texture of soggy bread. "Well what?" she said, distracted momentarily by the thought of hamburgers.

"Well," said Roger with exaggerated patience. "What about the bone?"

Althea just managed to swallow without choking. "The what?"

Roger rolled his eyes. "The finger bone." He jerked a thumb at the dig site. "It's why you came here,
right?"

Althea glared at Hoshi.

"Roger found out from one of the labs," said Hoshi. "I told him not to say anything until you'd had time to
study it."

Roger spread his hands in a placating gesture. "Everyone knows you found something in the ruins.
There's all kinds of speculation. Debris from a UFO? An underground city? Live Martians? I've heard all
sorts of things, Professor Mendez. It's about time to spill the beans." He gave her a big TV grin.

"No," said Althea flatly.
Hoshi leaned forward and lowered her voice. "The secrecy is hurting us. The longer we wait to release
the information, the more trouble I'll have getting an extension on the OSA grant." She meant the Oxford
School of Antiquities, which Althea had convinced to pay for Hoshi's banishment.

Althea opened her mouth in amazement. "You haven't told them about this?"

"Althea, I was waiting for you."

The expression in her eyes was distinct this time. It was self-doubt.

Althea looked down and found her hands clenching the arms of her chair. If Hoshi had gone boldly forth
and announced the bone as a genuine find—like she might have when Elliot was alive—the
archaeological community would have laughed her off the pages of every professional magazine. The
academics at Oxford alone would have been merciless. But if Althea was the one to make the
announcement, her reputation would protect her. She was rock-solid, conservative, respectable, without
any self-indulgent flashes of fame.

Althea looked up at Hoshi again. The only change was the exhaustion in her face. If there was a game
going on here, Hoshi was too worn down to play anymore. For a second, Althea felt a profound
gratitude toward her former student, her understanding of the academic hierarchy and her willingness to
submit to it for the greater advancement of the field. Althea felt her own cheeks flush. She'd won. The
bone was real. It was hers.

She put her hands in her lap and turned to Roger. "I'll discuss the bone with you, but I want to see what
you plan to broadcast, and I want full editorial purview. Understand?"

"Whatever you say, Professor Mendez." He stood up to leave. "I'll tell my boys we'll be staying a few
more days."